Cancuen

Cancuen sits where the Pasion river becomes navigable, at the point where the highlands meet the lowlands, and it made its living from that position: it was a trading city, controlling the movement of jade, obsidian and pyrite between the two zones, and workshops for working those materials have been excavated there. What makes it look unlike other Maya sites is the absence of large temple pyramids and the presence instead of a vast palace of many rooms and courtyards, built for administration and trade rather than for ceremony. The site is managed with the neighbouring community, whose members guide visitors, and it is reached by track and boat.

What you actually see

• A palace of many courtyards - the administrative heart of a trading city.
• Jade and pyrite workshops - the industry the city controlled.
• Almost no temple pyramids - a Maya city built around commerce.
• Community guiding - the neighbouring village running the visit.

When to go

January to April, the dry season, when the track is passable. A day. Guides are arranged with the community at the site.

Honest expectations

The track in is rough and needs a capable vehicle. Much of the palace is consolidated ruin rather than standing architecture. Facilities are minimal. Heat and insects are heavy.

Nearby

Raxruha is north-west; the Candelaria caves lie west.